Wish I had more time to post, but this picture will have to "speak a thousand words." This was taken almost two weeks ago. Gosh, she's grown so much.

Quick Update

I have been meaning to post here for quite some time about the addition of our little one but things have just been too busy. I'll keep this short, but wanted to provide you with some basic insight into my life.

Parker was born via unplanned c-section, so it was an interesting ordeal. As I was being stitched back up, something happened, and I ended up with a terrible headache. Consequently, I had a CT scan in the middle of the night (it was clear) and don't really remember a lot about the first few hours with my little one. We stay nearly a week in the hospital recuperating. I think the doctor was just being cautious, and I didn't mind the extended stay.

I've had a lot of trouble breast feeding. My lactation consultant (my brother's wife's mom) has been a tremendous help and has said that all of the drugs I was on before, during and after pregnancy are to blame...glad it's not me! Parker has acid reflux, so formula feeding has been a reach chore. The baby Zantac is helping, but it must taste awful-- you should see the faces she makes. We're on our fourth or fifth formula now, and while it's staying down, she's getting constipated. Poor little thing has her good days and bad, but when she's not screaming her head off, she's precious!

I returned to work work Parker was just 3 weeks old because I didn't want my students to start with another instructor. Luckily, the administration has been terribly kind and is allowing me to come in just to teach classes then leave. Mom is keeping Parker while I'm at work, so I don't worry about her at all.

She's heeeeere!

NO time at all to post, as I return to work tomorrow morning, but I wanted to take a quick moment to announce that Parker Claire was born August 4 at 8:27pm via emergency c-section. She weighed 6lbs, 10.9oz and was 19.5 inches long. She's beautiful and perfect (minus the acid reflux), and I'm loving life with my angel.

I'll be back to soon (hopefully) to post pictures and share her story. It'll be a long story, but it's something I'd like to document for the future.

Can't wait to catch up on all of you!

Due date?!?

So, my due day has come and gone and still no baby. For some reason, I always thought she'd come at least a week early; guess I was wrong. I'm starting to think that Parker is trying to show me who's boss, and she's doing a pretty darn good job of it. I think I'd feel better if I had some signs that she was going to make her appearance soon.

Unfortunately, she still hasn't dropped, I've yet to have a real contraction, and that glorious mucus plug is still in tact. I'm looking forward to our sonogram and OB visit tomorrow, so we know more about what's going on and maybe what to expect. One thing that concerns me is the LEEP procedure I had done about 3 years ago to remove some abnormal cells from my cervix. One complication of the LEEP is an incompetent cervix- I don't have that problem. The other complication is not dilating....I'm curious if this is my issue, but won't know till I discuss it with the doctor tomorrow.

A few days ago, I resisted the urge to post a vent about my husband who was really getting on my nerves with his lack of maturity and responsibility. Since then, however, he's like a new man. Wednesday night, he escorted me to my office in the middle of the night, so I could get things together for my classes in case I don't return at the start of the semester. When he came home from work Friday, he cleaned the bathrooms. After work Saturday, he mopped the floors. He's also unloaded the dishwasher, helped with laundry, and picked up dinner. I'm truly blessed to have him around, and I hate that I took him for granted a few days. Sure, his desire to go to a bar Wednesday evening was immature and not what I'd consider to be a "good idea," but he didn't end up going....maybe as a result of my temper tantrum.

Either way, we're going strong and looking forward to this little darling's arrival. I just can't wait to hold her in my arms!

NO progress...

I'm really starting to get frustrated with this whole pregnancy thing. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being pregnant, but I'm just SO ready for Parker to join us that each day I don't start having real contractions, I find myself more and more frustrated. Sure, I know she'll come when she's good and ready. And, yes, I know that we're not even to our EDD yet (which is Sunday, by the way)... but she's taking those practice breaths in utero and is already over 6 lbs. I think the bun in the oven is DONE!

We went to the OB today, and I had to visit with a doctor who wasn't my regular guy. He was totally dull, didn't laugh at any of my jokes and talked to me like I was an idiot. It totally made me love my OB that much more. In any case, the protein in the urine issue seems to have resolved itself, I gained 1lb since the previous week, my BP was 120/74 (which is again, high for me, but totally normal) and baby's HB was 149.

As far as progress, we're making none. I'm STILL dilated to "fingertip" and she's still "pretty high." Substitute OB said "I'd be surprised if she came this week." Uh, yeah, thanks. We have a sonogram scheduled for Monday morning to check her size and then a visit with our usual OB. I'm hoping we'll have a plan...*sigh* Testing my patience already, this kid!

Single digits

Well, just 9 days before Miss Parker Claire is set to make her debut. I wish I had more to blog about these days, but my life consists of sitting in my bed (to keep my feet elevated) and sleeping upright to better manage the heartburn.

I'm alright though....sore, tired and round, but I'm happy to be that way. I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctor on the protein in my urine, so I'll update if it's anything noteworthy.

Just an update:

My blood work revealed that I'm a bit anemic, so I have to take the iron supplement every day now instead of every-other-day. Hello constipation, but at least it explains why I've been so tired.

All my pee was normal though. :)

Jug of Pee

An entire post dedicated to urine...with a question in the last paragraph seeking advice.

I learned today that collecting your pee for 24 hours isn't near as fun as it sounds. (sarcasm, please) I was supposed to start my collection when I got up this morning. I woke up at 6, which is normal, but decided it would be best to wait until I woke up the second time to begin the fun. This was a good plan since I typically wake up every hour for my trip to the potty. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I was able to sleep until 9:30!!! No biggie-- I started the fun then.

Of course, by 2pm, I could see that my jug would runneth over before 9:30 tomorrow morning, so I put in a call to the doctor's office. As luck would have it, I had to head to Fort Worth to get a second jug. The 35 minute one-way trip was interesting....especially since I wasn't able to tinkle the entire time! Mom went with me, and we made it without a hitch...but know I tinkled the moment I walked in the house!

The most interesting thing about collecting your pee all day is realizing just how much you pee! Not how often, but quantity. I'm amazed. I get to tinkle in a little potty that makes me feel like I'm being potty trained again. The little potty has measurements on it, so I can see how many oz/ml I pee each time. It's been an interesting experience; that's for sure!

I return my collection tomorrow morning and they should have the results Thursday. Do you think it's too much for me to expect or too pushy of me to ask that MY doctor or his nurse call me Thursday or Friday with the results since my OB will be on vacation all next week? I have my regular OB visit on Monday with another doctor in the practice, but I'd really rather have MY OB look at my results and make the decision on how we proceed. I know in my soul that anyone in his practice is fully qualified to help me, but I have spent the last 30 weeks getting to know my doctor, not the doctor I'll meet for the first time Monday.

Thoughts?

Update

Today was certainly a typical Monday. Someone at work accidentally forwarded an email to someone who didn't need to know I was involved in a situation. It's not the end of the world, but certainly not how I was hoping the day would begin. Then, after spending an hour and a half grading assignments online, all of my comments and grades were lost. I'll have to re-enter everything again.

The OB appointment today had some highs and lows. As a reminder, I'm 38 weeks now. Baby's heartbeat was 159, so that's good. My blood pressure was 120/64, which is high for me, but completely normal. I'm dilated 1cm, so we're still making progress. Unfortunately, I had some extra protein in my urine. I tend to drink quite a bit of water (well over a gallon a day)- always have been a good water drinker. The doctor had them draw some blood today and beginning tomorrow morning, I get to collect all of my urine for 24 hours. Oh yeah-- get to pee in a jug, and shall I share that the jug needs to be kept refrigerated?!? I'm a bit concerned that I'm going to fill the jug before my 24 hours is up, so I'm fairly certain I'll be driving into the doctor's office tomorrow to get a second jug. When I return my collection Wednesday morning, they'll take more blood. Exciting! We'll get the test results on Thursday. The extra protein could be a urinary tract infection, but I'm not having any of those symptoms. It could also be pre-eclampsia, but my bp is in the normal range...just high for me. Who knows?

I also found out that my OB will be out of town all next week. Not the best timing considering all this protein stuff has jumped up AND I could go into labor at any time. I knew going in that someone from the practice could deliver me, I just didn't think it would happen. I was able to keep it together until we walked out of the hospital, and then the water works began flowing. I know a lot of it was hormones, but it still kinda stinks.

So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say...

I really shouldn't let so much time pass between my posts because I end up with SO MUCH TO SAY....although I don't know why I worry about writing too much. No one really reads this anyway. I've been keeping particularly busy with Big Brother 11; it's my summer guilty pleasure. I've also been busy preparing for the fall semester. I'm hoping to return to my class at the start of the semester....although my OB just laughs when I mention it. We'll see.

Everything is still moving right along. I'll be 38 weeks Monday, and I'm hoping the OB says I'm further along and ready to rumble. At this point, Parker is over 7lbs, and I really don't want to go to 40 weeks (or more and have an 8 or 9lb baby). I measured my stomach this morning. I'm 53 inches around....uh, yeah....I'm only 60 inches tall! To date, I've only gained about 7lbs, so that's awesome.

Have I mentioned the visit from the Mississippi in-laws? Yeah, it was interesting. It was a whirlwind visit....more like a hurricane, really. Mark's family is much larger than mine, and with 5 kids growing up together, they talked over each other, interrupted each other, ignored each other, etc. I grew up with just one brother, a theatrical/community involved mother, and an engineer for a father. We never interrupted one another and the house was fairly quiet most of the time. My mom is hearing impaired now (she started wearing hearing aids when I was in college). She hears noise, but has a hard time with clarity. Consequently, the tv is typically on mute and the general noise level in the house is quiet. The way I was raised is just SO different than how Mark was raised. I'm sure there's a happy medium in there somewhere. I was just reminded of the differences having Mark's family here....for 36 hours!

Enough rambling for now. It's midnight thirty and Mark still hasn't left work. I'm going to sit here with my heartburn and Big Brother After Dark...

Moving Right Along

Well, the nursery is ready (LOVE my rocker/recliner), the house is ready and now it appears that momma is ready too. I went to the OB yesterday and he said that I'm not dilated yet, but my cervix is softening. Looks like we're starting the process, which is really excited. I suspect we'll have a baby in our arms in the next 3-4 weeks. Watch. She'll be late!

I'm only 35 weeks but measuring 36, and we have a sonogram in 2 weeks to look at the little darling. Dr. Howell is really pleased with how we're progressing and has given me permission to head off to a friend's house an hour away for the Fourth of July weekend. Since I've been "grounded" to the Fort Worth area by my mom, this is an exciting feat for me!

My in-laws made a short visit the past few days. It was good to see them, but the work involved with hosting guests is very exhausting. They left this morning, so I am spending the day washing towels, sheets, etc. and putting the house back together. It's amazing what a mess can be made when there are people in the house. So often, I spend my days here quietly and Mark comes home late, watches tv and heads to bed. It makes keeping the house clean pretty easy. Add 3 folks and all of their stuff to the mix even for just a few days, and you've got a lot more to manage. Again, it was great to see them...but I'm happy to get things back in their proper places. It's the OCD coming out- forgive me.

So, yup, that's it. I need to pack my bag for the hospital, but I plan to spend the rest of my time resting and being bored....I don't get bored too often. Tomorrow, Mark was supposed to be off work, but he has to go to training in Plano (about 75 miles away). I'm going to tag along and maybe do some shopping while he's in meetings and then we'll play around the rest of the day. I guess that means I'll be resting Thursday...

Woo hoo!

I love feeling productive on a Friday! I woke up at 7 this morning and got started. I had to clear out some things so the electricians could come in and have space to work. Consequently, the formal dining room went from being baby central to serving as a storage area for pictures that need to be hung. The study, unfortunately, is now baby central....until we get the dresser put together this evening! I will do baby laundry tomorrow and start putting things away where they belong. Life is good! My kitchen is clean. You can actually see the counter tops on the island. This makes me very happy.

I'm headed back to Lowe's now to get new covers for our pendant lights. I also need some potting soil and a pot for the plant on my dining table. The end tables need a coat of paint on the inner legs, so I may try to get that done too. Other than that, I'm staying inside doing laundry and napping in between loads....oh, and I need to iron the curtains for the bedroom.

My bestest friend, Jennifer, is coming in tonight to help do some stuff. I think we'll assemble the dresser, maybe the crib too. I'd also like her help hanging photos throughout the house. She has a good eye for these things.

Sounds like a lot of work to be doing at nearly 34 weeks, but I figure just one more week of work before the in-laws arrive, and then I can be a total bum for the rest of the pregnancy. Good trade, right?!?

Making Progress

Our OB appointment (33 weeks) went really well. My bp was 110/57 and baby's heartbeat was about 144. Doctor says I'm measuring right on track (fundal height was 34cm), so I guess that's good too.

I'm making so much progress around the house. Mom asked the other day if I was nesting. I responded, "I'm trying to get shit done. If you call that nesting, there ya go!" We've run into some issues with the electrical in our house-- it's a brand new house, so it's not the wiring in the house that's been problematic. We're trying to replace some of the standard fixtures that were in the house package, but running into problems there. Our builder came out and got me hooked up with an electrician, and that makes me SO much calmer.

Mark and I spent the last few days ironing curtains (my job) and hanging curtain rods (his job). He, of course, doesn't understand the need for curtains, but they make me feel so much homier. The nursery is coming along too. We just need to clean it up, address the lighting issue and then assemble furniture and load it up. Our formal dining room is baby central these days-- I'm looking forward to that stuff having a better home.

We got the bed set up in the guest room, and I'm going to make the bed Friday. My bestest friend is coming over Friday night to help me hang photos and decorate and such. She might also get cornered into helping us assemble the crib. (As you may know, my husband works for AT&T, so he's working a 14 hour day Friday due to the release of the new iPhone.)

The new arm chairs for the living room come in Saturday and the recliner/rocker for the nursery will be here next week. It's amazing how quickly things can come together when you have the time (even though not the energy) to focus on the projects. We've lived here since January, and we're still unpacking boxes-- wild!

Alright, I'm off to bed. Mom and I are going shopping in the morning for items needed for the hospital and my niece and nephew are coming over in the afternoon to swim. We moved the pack-n-play (bassinet) into our bedroom tonight. Let's pray I don't injure myself in the middle of the night by running into it.

And life goes on...

Since the bit of spotting Wednesday evening, I've been pretty cautious not to do too much. I've also been pretty diligent about looking for more spotting....obsessed, maybe, is a better word. But I'm pleased to report there's absolutely nothing to report.

Thursday, mom and I went to Ikea (it's about an hour and a half away) and piddled around for a while. With 310,000 sq. ft, that's a lot of walking, but we took our time and even found some bargains along the way. Friday, I ran errands in the morning and enjoyed some time in the pool in the afternoon. We had some pretty rough weather roll in Friday evening, and we ended up in the master bedroom closet. I huddled in the corner with Shi-Thead while Mark sprawled out in the middle of the floor playing with his laptop. I guess you can tell who was afraid and who wasn't.

Yesterday, I spent the day with my bestest, Jennifer. We had lunch to celebrate her birthday (which is today) and then ventured north almost to Oklahoma for our friend's daughter's 5th birthday party. It was certainly a glimpse into my future. There were less than 10 little girls there, but it seemed like 40! I'm all about renting a place to hold birthday parties in the future....what a mess! We had a good time even though it was RIDICULOUSLY hot. My rings ended up getting a bit snug, so I took them off only to find I couldn't get them back on. Once I cooled off in the a/c, they fit again.

So, today is laundry day. Of course, it's 1pm, and I've not started laundry yet. I spent the morning watching (and crying through) High School Musical 3-- we're blaming the crying on those damn pregnancy hormones. My bestest just called to say she's engaged, and I hate I missed her party today--- mom has put me on restriction: I'm not allowed to leave the city, and I have to be escorted if I want to go into Fort Worth...but I'm not allowed to go as far as Dallas anymore. This makes me giggle, but it reminds me that I'm loved.

Alright, enough of this- I better get productive. Got an OB appointment in the morning and then lots of chores to do while Mark is off work then lamaze (tour of labor and delivery) tomorrow night.

A bit of a scare...

We had a bit of a scare last night when I noticed some slight spotting after a visit to the bathroom. I tried not to be too concerned because I still felt Parker moving, but went ahead and called the doctor's after-hours number just to be safe. (The gal at the answering service they use was a complete beyotch, but that's another story.) The physician on call said not to worry and to just take it easy the rest of the night. It provided some relief, but you know I was on "spot watch 2009" all night. Fortunately, no other spotting, and I'm still feeling baby move. I still haven't noticed any braxton hicks, so that's good too (according to the OB).

I am taking this experience as a wake up call. While I may feel like I do everything, it's not in the best interest of Parker. I'm heading on an adventure with my mom today but have cut out the typical stuff I would have done in addition to the outing. I'm going to start bonding with my couch a bit more and rely on others to help me get the nursery completed.

Here's a sneak peak!

Turning the bend into the final homestretch

32 weeks and all is well. I feel like a total failure for not blogging more in the past few months. I wanted to blog to have a record of this experience, but life got too crazy and something had to go. Nevertheless, all is well, and that's what really matters.

(If you don't want to read a bunch of backstory, scroll down to where I talk about the shower!)

This whole journey to motherhood thing has been a wild one. While I know in many ways we were blessed and didn't have to endure what many couples do, it was still a long road in comparison with those teenage crack whores who get pregnent without thought. My entire married life has been a bit chaotic. In fact, our whole relationship has been wild. Mark and I met as I was finishing the dissertation for my doctorate. Not an ideal time to begin a relationship, but I promised him that if he could survive those first two months, we could get through anything. We made it through the dissertation defense, the multiple edits and graduation in May (2006). Of course, I was also responsible for planning a week-long conference in July, and that created more stress for our relationship. I began a new job and we moved in together in July too.

The first year we lived together, things were alright. I got used to my job, got used to living with someone (which isn't easy after being independent for 10 years), and we got to know each other better-- fell in love, if you will. We got engaged the following March- a year after we began dating-- and planned the wedding for the following July. Yup- while living in Mississippi, we planned a Texas-sized wedding back "home." When we returned from our honeymoon, I had my yearly visit with the gyno scheduled. Because of some previous stuff, I thought it important to ask her "permission" to stop taking birth control pills.

The next 18 months have been chronicled off and on through this blog. I share all of this information for my own perspective, really. The first two years of our married life have been an emotional rollercoaster. All of the things I did to my body to get pregnant made me a wild mad woman-- and while I'm thrilled it worked, I really put Mark through hell. Of course, after we got pregnant, the first trimester was ridiculous. We were thrilled to be pregnant, but I was still an emotional mess. Things seemed to level out a bit during the second trimester, but I was so overloaded at work, you couldn't really tell much of a difference.

So, here we are now at 32 weeks. I finished with the Spring semester in mid-May, finished my mim-mester course at the end of May and started my online course June 1. Fortunately, the online course is much easier on my physically. I seem to have a great group of students in that class, which will make the process MUCH easier. And now, I finally feel like I can enjoy life again. Sure, we've got TONS of things to do to get the house ready for Miss Parker, but it'll happen. No biggie! I think Parker agrees-- she just gave me a kick.

Yeah, not sure what that whole blog was about, but apparently, it needed to come out.

I had my second shower last weekend, and it was a total blast! Two of my sorority sisters planned it and did an amazing job. We had a couple's shower at the BlackFinn American Saloon. The movie Sweet Home Alabama comes to mind: "You have a baby....in a BAR!" It's really more of a restaurant than a bar at 4pm. The girls decorated the place with balloons and confetti and had the most amazing cupcakes you've elver seen. There were no pastels for this shower-- bright pinks, yellows and greens made for a lively atmosphere. Of course, maybe the beer and shots helped with that too....

Before the shower, Mark and I met some of my college buddies and their wives at the Rahr Brewery in downtown Fort Worth. I was the designated driver, of course, but that didn't stop me from having a bbq sandwhich! I got lots of crazy looks at the brewery with my baby belly hanging out, but I just sipped from my water and gave a smile. We had a good time. After the shower, we went over to some friends' house and hung out for a bit. It was after midnight when we got home. I was exhausted and my feet were really swollen.

Here's a picture of some of the ladies at the shower (including my mom!):

I'm telling you-- these cupcakes were GOOD!

And some pictures of gifts. The first was made by one of my college buddies (male). The second is us cheesing it up.

That's all for now. Next OB appointment is Monday. I will post some pictures of the nursery soon-- figured I'd posted enough for now though. ;)

Hello...anyone still out there?

To the left is a picture of me and Mark at the shower (26 weeks).

I can't believe how quickly the past few months have flown. I'm SO excited the end of the semester is upon me, and while I will be teaching over the summer, the schedule will be much less hectic. For the past semester, I've been teaching 8 courses for 3 separate institutions, which means three separate textbooks. Who thought signing up for all of this was a good idea?!? Good grief!

I'm happy to report that everything is going well with little Parker Claire who is now set to make her debut on August 2nd. I had my first shower last week, and it was a lot of fun. The gals (and gents) in my office are really great. Our big shower is May 30 (hosted by two sorority sisters of mine). The shower will be a couples shower with some of my family, but mostly friends. Mark's family will host a shower after Parker is here....it'll just be his brothers, sisters and parents in attendance, so I'm hoping it'll be pretty low-key.

At my recent OB appointment, my blood pressure was 110/68, which made me very happy. I did my glucose test, so we'll see what happens with that. The doctor did tell me I need to start gaining some weight. Since about 9 weeks pregnant, I've only gained 3 pounds, but I'm still down 7 from when we got knocked up. Unfortunately, the doctor said I need to eat HEALTHY options to gain the weight. I assume "healthy" does not include my passion for Skittles, Starbursts, or anything gummy! BAH.

I'm off to a meeting, but wanted to quickly post. I look forward to catching up with y'all now that things are slowing down here a bit.

Good grief!

I've had an incredibly busy week, and am practically forcing myself to post this message now simply to let you know I'm alive. I have a terrible habit of obligating myself to more than I can easily handle. Typically, this isn't a problem, but when you have a baby in the belly, it makes it really difficult.

I agreed to teach an 8 week course for another institution. It meets twice each week for 3 hours each session. I drive an hour or so each way to get there, so that makes it an even longer excursion. I agreed to this gig before I knew that all I'd really want to do is sit around on my couch. Luckily, it'll allow us to pay Mark's lasik surgery in full-- May 8th is the day for him-- so we won't have an added monthly payment when Parker is here.

Other than that, I'm just pushing through each week. Every weekend in April is filled with something to do. This weekend is my community college homecoming, and since I teach here and advise multiple student organizations, I'm obligated to enjoy myself!

Hope y'all are well-- I will make time to get caught up on you....in between tackling the mountain of grading I've yet to complete. *sigh*

Update

I should have posted this earlier in the week, but I've been running myself in circles it seems.

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 21 weeks
Total weight gain: none that I know of. I'm still less than I was when I got knocked up
How much does baby weigh?: According to BabyCenter, she's .75 pounds
Maternity clothes?: without a doubt....although I can still wear a few pre-pregnancy pants with the bella band
Stretch marks?: None that are new ;)
Sleep?: Still not sleeping as well as I'd like, but I'm getting used to it.
Amazing moment this week?: Feeling Parker move!!!
Movement?: most definitely
cravings?: Totally random stuff, and, luckily, most of them are more healthy options. Watermelon and bananas mostly
Labor signs?: Thankfully, no
Belly button in or out?: in, but I think it's less deep
What I miss: sleeping on my tummy
What I'm looking forward to: getting through the next few weeks so things can slow down a bit
Milestone: I guess just feeling the baby wiggle around. I'm looking forward to when Mark can feel her too.

In other news, sister-in-law's IVF was postponed....indefinitely. She's been diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis and due to all of her previous surgeries, the doctor doesn't want to do surgery now. She's very upset and somehow holding onto the hope that it's a temporary delay. I, unfortunately, am not so optimistic. :(

Just a quick note....that turned lengthy!

I have so much to share today, but not a lot of time to do it. SO, this will be a short entry with more to come later.

First, I definitely felt little Parker move yesterday. I was sitting at my desk typing away, and all of a sudden, I felt this little "tap tap tap" in my belly. It was most definitely baby and not gas. While many say the feeling is similar to that of the "butterflies" I found it a bit more nauseating. Of course, it was a wonderful moment, but it still made me sick to my stomach for a second or two.

When I got home, I had Mark feel my stomach because you could feel a solid place where Parker was definitely positioned. He felt it and then jumped back "Woah! That's weird!" and then came back for more poking and prodding. It was a fun experience for us to share together, and I can't wait for Mark to feel her little punches and jabs.

To wrap it up, I'd like to ask for prayers for my sister-in-law. Mark's sister has had a helluva struggle over the last few years with all sorts of medical issues (really the entire time they've been married, since she got sick on their honeymoon several years ago). The doctors have finally said she's healthy enough to try to have a baby. Her only option (due to the medical stuff) is IVF, and she starts her first cycle Thursday. If you could ask for strength and patience for this couple, that would be great. I'm so concerned that they don't really know their chances of success, and that in some way, they have a false sense of hope. I don't know if that makes sense, but I hate for them to get hurt. I just ask that God comfort them and support them through this, as they've been through so much during their marriage.

Allergies- Bah!

After spending much of Saturday in bed or praying to the porcelain gods, I'm doing better today. I don't know if I ate something funky or just had a stomach bug or Parker was making up for those early days without m/s, but yesterday was no fun at all. I managed to get down half a turkey sandwich and about 1/4 of a Gatorade, but that was all I could do.

I woke this morning ready to eat though- I'll tell you that! Of course, we've got a front moving in tomorrow night, and my allergies are already warning me about it. On my last day of spring break, this really isn't what I need. I took a Zyrtec first thing this morning and just popped some Benadryl (sleepy time soon), but nothing seems to be working. So, BAH to allergies!

In positive news, we finished painting the main part of the nursery. We'll have to prime and paint the ceiling thanks to my dear, dear husband's attempts to help get the job done, but I think it'll be great when we're done. He should take care of the ceiling Wednesday while he's off work and then we'll be ready to put up the bead board (hopefully next weekend). I'm excited to see it all come together and certainly ready to have another room in the house completed.

I guess that's all I've got today.....I've got a busy couple of weeks coming up and then we're heading to Mississippi for Easter weekend to spend time with the outlaws. That'll be interesting if nothing else. When we return from MS, I will work for 2 days and then head to a conference for the rest of the week. From there, it's only like 2-3 weeks until finals!!!

We're half way there!

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 20 weeks
Total weight gain: a little over 2 pounds, I think (still less than when we got pregnant though)
How much does baby weigh?: 10.5 ounces, I assume
Maternity clothes?: heck yeah
Stretch marks?: None that are new ;)
Sleep?: I do well for about 4 hours at a time, but I'm making due
Best moment this week?: Actually starting to LOOK pregnant rather than "just fatter"
Movement?: maybe-- I've felt a flutter or two, but I don't know if that's baby or gas
Food cravings?: Cheese still.....and anything else I can get my hands on it seems
Labor signs?: Thankfully, no
Belly button in or out?: in, but I think it's less deep
What I miss: mojitos!
What I'm looking forward to: Our next OB visit in about 2.5 weeks
Milestone: Making it to week 20 with no spotting, cramping, or cause for alarm. We're truly blessed.

Mark really surprised me last night. He called Tuesday night to tell me he had a date night planned. Wednesday afternoon, he notified me a guy from work and his wife were joining us. No biggie- so much for romance! While at dinner, I looked up and my bestest college friend was standing at the end of our table. After a bit of confusion, I realized she was there to hang with us. We went to House of Blues to see Keith Urban in concert, and it was a lot of fun....despite swollen ankles and being really tired. Mark's a real sweetie for surprising me like that though!

And the winner is...

Parker Claire

We finally settled on a name and have shared with with our families, so now it's time to share it with you. Most people ask how we chose the name, and we don't really have a clear answer. Basically, we wrote a list of names on paper and then "tried them on" for size. Parker is a name I thought of back in December and added to our list-- we never really discussed it. Mark mentioned Claire around the same time, and we've pretty much stuck with it as a middle name ever since.

Neither name is a family name...well, we found out later that Claire is my great grandmother's middle name, but we had no clue at the time. And, while we live in Parker County, that didn't influence our decision either way.

So, there you have it- Miss Peanut has a name!

Tonight, we're heading to Dallas to The House of Blues to see Keith Urban in concert. We're joining one of Mark's co-workers and his wife. Should be a fun evening, but I know I'll be exhausted by the time we leave. Luckily, Mark's driving, so I can sleep the 1.5 hour ride home!

Ho-Hum

Not too much to report today. Mark is home from work, and I am on Spring Break. He's working on painting the nursery...still, and I'm supposed to be getting stuff prepared for our visit with the tax lady (my aunt) tonight. It's amazing looking back at all of the receipts I've collected throughout the year-- all of the medicines, doctors visits, lab tests, etc. in addition to moving expenses, job hunting, etc.

2008 was a busy year for us, and while I know bringing Peanut into the world isn't going to make life calm, I'm hoping she'll at least provide a little more stability for us. That is, we don't plan on moving, starting new jobs, etc. in 2009.

On the name front, I think we've got it chosen. I'm scared to share for fear Mark will change his mind. Give me a week, and we'll see if he's still set on the name, and then I'll share. For now, we'll continue to call her Miss Peanut! ;)

Ugh- the rain!

I know we need rain in our neck of the woods, but does it really have to come with a cold front that dropped our temperatures from a lovely range of 70-85 to this crap where it's currently 41?!? I mean, seriously-- it's the week before spring break, and my mind wants (needs) SUN!

One of the great things about being a teacher is having Spring Break off with the students. While I don't have anything major planned, I will certainly enjoy the rest. Plans include: judging a speech contest tomorrow and Sunday, finish painting the nursery (Mark's job) and taxes on Monday and taking momma to the casino nearby on Tuesday. I've got a friend coming to visit the Sunday towards the end of Spring Break, and she's going to help me hang pictures and decorate around the house-- I'm tired of living out of boxes. Other than that, I plan to clean, rest and take care of me.

In the name department, we're still looking for names. I never thought it would be so difficult to name a child, but when you start thinking of all the possible nicknames, teasing, etc., it can be a bit daunting. We've got it narrowed down to a few, so I'm hoping we can make a decision soon.

lol- it's a ....

I'm sorry it's taken so long to post the great news, but (drum roll, please) it's a GIRL! We're super excited and now get to start the fantastic challenge of choosing a name for our precious Peanut.

I was really nervous going into the appointment. For some reason, I can't get past the fear of something being wrong. I'm 19 weeks and STILL check for spotting each time I use the restroom. Fortunately, all of my fears were squashed with the sonographer found the heartbeat quickly and then showed us the 4 chambers of the heart, 3 blood vessels in the umbilical cord, 2 kidneys and a bladder. We were also able to see the eye sockets, brain formation, spine, and size of other bones. Absolutely everything was perfect! I had a LEEP procedure a few years ago to remove some suspicious cells from my cervix. The doctor was happy to see my cervix is nice and long, so any fears we had about the LEEP causing complications are pretty much gone. The only thing that was mentioned (but the doctor wasn't concerned) was that my placenta is in the rear. Uh, okay....I'm still on target for an August 4 due date and go back to the doctor April 6th.

We've got the nursery planned. We're painting the walls a pretty green called "grassy meadow" and will do the bead board around the bottom portion of the room. Here's the bedding we've chosen for the nursery. We went ahead and bought it since it was on clearance:

Cankles, Cankles! Where are my ankles?!?

After attending a 3 day conference with a group of my students, I noticed I had the most delightful cankles yesterday. I know they're the first of many, but my oh my- how it changed my perception of things.

We go to the OB this afternoon to find out if Peanut is a boy or girl. I'm super excited and hope that Peanut isn't the shy type!!!

One more week!

It's just one more week until we find out if Peanut is a boy or girl. I seem to be carrying the child all over, so many are guessing "boy." The first time we met with our OB, he said "boy." We'll see. What do you think?

In other news, not too much to report. I'm staying terribly busy now that I'm feeling better, and I'm starting to look more pregnant instead of fat. You know, interesting thing about being knocked up-- when you're thin, you look pregnant but when you start out chunky, you just look heavier.

I'm practically normal!

Over the past 2 years, Mark and I have been on an emotional roller coaster. Right after we got married, I stopped taking birth control (August 07). When my period didn't show, we started on the progesterone (October 07). A few months later, we added Clomid (December 07). A few months after that, we added Metformin (March 08) while continuing to increase the dosage of Clomid. Another few months, we switched from the Metformin to Fortamet (May 08) after our first visit with the fertility specialist, which didn't have a large impact considering everything else I'd been through.

We moved back to Texas (August 08) and got new jobs. Met with the new fertility specialist (October 09) and began IUI immediately. All of the shots and other medications were a real doozy. IUI was on November 7, 2008 and we found out it took a few weeks later. So, after all the medications, doctor's visits, etc., we were THRILLED to be pregnant...but, I was a hormonal wreck still. We moved into our new house in early January and I started a new semester at school. Mind you, I struggled with bronchitis from November-January, so that was another stresser.

Long story short-- (too late)-- I'm finally feeling better physically. "Just say 'yes' to drugs!" And now that we're in the second trimester, the hormones have really settled down. For the first time in a year and a half, I feel like ME- Molly. The gal who enjoys life, likes to laugh and actually looks forward to things. I didn't realize how far away from my normal I was until I started coming back. I feel terrible for putting Mark through all this crap, but I'm very thankful that he's willing to stick by me when I'm not at my best. I guess, in some odd way, it makes me love him more simply because he put up with me.

Just how far along am I?

I have lots I want to write about, but I don't want this entry to get too lengthy. I guess I'll post multiple times this week to get caught up on the rest.

I had an OB visit last Monday. We got to hear little Peanut's heartbeat, which was fantastic. I was sad we didn't get to see the precious child though. I thought I was right at 15 weeks, but the doctor said I'm closer to 16. That makes me pretty darn close to 17 now, which is totally amazing!

We did the Quad test (I think that's what it's called)-- the blood test where they check for a number of things including Cystic Fibrosis. Dr. Howell was really careful to explain that the chance of a false positive is certainly real, and even if I'm a carrier for CF, it doesn't mean Peanut will have it. It's just one of those things where we have to wait and see. If the tests come back positive, it's not like we're going to choose to not keep Peanut-- we'll just have to educate ourselves on how to be better parents for him/her.

Our next appointment is March 9 (just 2 weeks) where we hope to find out the sex of the baby. Our doctor has said "boy" since day 1-- even before examining me. What are your thoughts?!?

Friends, friends

After announcing the pregnancy, I've gotten in contact with a bunch of folks who I've not talked to in way too long. Many of these folks are sorority sisters from college. While we talk occasionally (weddings, birthdays, showers, etc.) the close personal relationships with many of these gals has been lost over the years.

One response I received to my announcement (from a non-sorority sister) was "Wow! I'm so jealous- we've been trying over a year." Uh, yeah- I read that you were diagnosed with PCOS and offered some insight and support....but didn't feel it necessary to share the intimate details of my business. After I explained our story, she told me she thought she was knocked up (got TWO positive pregnancy tests but was concerned they were false positives). My "nesting days" came out, and I schooled her....nicely, of course.

I know that Mark and I didn't try as long as MANY people, and we didn't have to endure what MANY go through. I know we got lucky with our first IUI, and I know we're blessed. I often forget, however, that lots of folks trying to conceive don't have an understanding of the journey it takes many. I guess, to some extent, that I'm fortunate to have stumbled upon the Nest's "Trouble Trying to Conceive" board before finding my home at Getting Pregnant. While it scared the crap out of me, it made me realize that I'm not as bad off as many of the women out there. In essence, reading about the struggles of others provided me a bit of sensitivity and understanding. A year after first reading the T-TTC board, I re-visited it to learn about IUI. While I never thought *I* would be posting on that board, I knew I wasn't struggling as much as some.

I'm rambling now, but all of this to say- I realize I'm blessed.

Many other friends have reached out to me with their stories of infertility. Five of my college friends- girls in my sorority- are struggling with infertility. Each of them has a different story, and our mutual experiences and struggles have brought us closer together. While infertility stinks, getting close to friends again is something to appreciate.

let my fingers do the talkin'

So, yeah, another week has passed and here I am just now making myself write. I log on almost daily and read what y'all have to say, but I need to get better about writing myself.

My birthday party Friday was fabulous. There were lots of old college friends, so it was good to see them. Mark and I decided to share the Peanut News with our friends that night, so it was extra exciting. I got my first few belly rubs too, and oddly enough, I wasn't put off by it...probably because I totally adore the folks who touched. It was funny too-- they rubbed my tummy above my belly button (wouldn't expect them to grab lower), and I said, "That's not Peanut, that's fat. Peanut's down here, but you better watch out-- Mark's here." It got some good laughs and comments about how I'm not fat.....yeah, well, I've lost 20 pounds since getting knocked up....and you can't tell!

I've been sicker than a dog again, which totally sucks. After the basketball game last Wednesday, I knew I was in trouble. I used my sexy phone operator voice to teach classes Thursday and Friday, but by Saturday, I was a mess. My throat has been hurting pretty bad lately, and my ears have been aching too. I finally got in with a general practitioner on Tuesday (stayed home sick from work too due to a low grade fever), and he thinks all I've got is allergies....boooo! Allergic Bronchitis-- there's nothing wrong with my throat and he didn't even look at my ears! I got some new meds, called the OB to make sure they're alright and went about my business.

Despite having absolutely NO voice, I went back to work today. I taught my 8am class at the high school, which was delightful and then managed to get to my 10am class as well. We were almost done with class when I had a coughing attack. I'd already left the class once to refill my water bottle and bum a cough drop or peppermint off the secretary. So, when I started coughing again, I excused myself. Got some more water and then went to the bathroom to cough it out (kinda like "walk it out" but a lot less cool). I had tears running down my face as I coughed my little head silly.....then simultaneously threw up and peed my pants! Uh, yeah-- can't go back to class now. I had the secretary dismiss my class and I made some quick preparations for my final class of the day to be cancelled....what a day!

I got home from work and changed into some comfy pants. In the process, I stepped on Shi-Thead. He yelped and I did all I could to not put weight on his little paw....and fell down. Luckily, the majority of the impact was on my hip/butt area, but I was still a bit shaken by falling on Peanut's poor noggin'. I know Peanut is protected in there and all, but I hate to have shaken baby syndrome before the child is even born!

There are days when you should just go back to bed, pull up the covers and try again. I think today was one of those days....I'm going to carve out some time in the next few days to write about some of my friends. The deserve a shout-out even though they don't know this blog exists.

They say it's your birthday...

Yeah, it's my birthday and I had to go to work. Sure, I realize this is part of being an adult, but I don't have to like it. I was truly hopeful for a second day home from work due to the ice storm, but I had to settle with one day off and one day of late arrival.

It was absolutely ridiculous that we had class today. In my first class, I had 4 students (out of 25) and in the second class, we had a whopping 6! It was a complete waste of time for all involved, and it bothers me that our administration would encourage students and employees to drive on unsafe roads.

I'm certain there's a logical reason we had class today when there was ice on the road and it was cancelled yesterday when roads were clear. I'm sure the administration made the decisions they had to with the information available. But-- I don't have to agree with it, and I don't have to like it.

For my birthday, I got some fabulous gifts from my husband: Tommy Bahama "Very Cool" perfume (it rocks), a Bella Band, a gift certificate to a maternity store, and a gift certificate for a manicure/pedicure. I'm totally spoiled, and I love it! Tonight we're going to my college basketball games, so I can support my students. It'll be good times.

Crazy Texans!

One thing I've always loved about being a Texan (and there's lots to love) is the reaction most have to any sort of cold precipitation. At the slightest mention of ice, sleet, or the rarely seen snow, folks are headed to the grocery store to stock up on bread, milk and canned goods. It cracks me up, really.

What makes me very happy about this is that my college was closed today, so I was able to spend some quality time with my couch. We're supposed to get another round of wet stuff in just a little bit, and it won't get above freezing until noon or so tomorrow. This makes me hopeful that we won't have classes tomorrow either. Now, THAT is what I call a birthday present!

Other than that, I'm 13 weeks today. All is well.

Another day, another ER visit

I had a rough night of breathing last night, so I called the OB's office. (I don't have a general practitioner since I'm new to the area and can't get in for 6 weeks.) The OB's office said they'd work me in, but I'd have to see someone other than my OB- no biggie.

On my way, I stopped by Target and got a book to read to keep me company while I waited to be worked in. I couldn't get into the book, but I'll try again later. I forget the title, but it's about some folks who helped those taken hostage by Nazi's in Germany back in the day. Should be good if I can get past the first chapter.

Long story short- I spent 2 hours in the doctor's office and it was very pleasant. The nurses are amazing. The doctor I saw was a bit alarmed so she wrote up some orders and sent me down to the ER. Two and a half hours later, I walked out of the hospital! The ER doctor said I have Allergic Bronchitis- uh, yeah, okay, so how can we get it to go away because I've been sick since November! He tells me I'll probably have to deal with it for the duration of my pregnancy- fun. I'm not happy with what he has to say, but I'll take it up with my OB later. I wasn't in the mood to play with Mr. ER Doc since I'd been at the darn place for 4 hours total and was a hungry, hormonal pregnant woman.

The plan of attack-- I did a breathing treatment and will do two more days of oral steroids. ER Doc says I can stay on the Amoxil (although I've built up a resistance), but doesn't think it's going to do anything since "all (I) have is allergies." The OB's associate gave me some Robitussin with codeine so I can get some sleep-- that should be fun.

I've got a birthday party next weekend, and I plan to share with our friends that we're expecting. Y'all pray I feel good enough to enjoy the fiesta!

Oxygen would be nice

I'm doing alright, but this bronchitis is kicking my ass. I'd be so happy if I could sleep through the night and take a good, deep breath. I've got a call into the doctor, so hopefully he can provide some relief somehow.

One of the bad things about having bronchitis and being pregnant is that every time I cough, I pee. I'm tired of peeing on myself. I try to empty my bladder often, but serious- I took care of business 7 minutes ago, coughed and now have to change my pants....again. I may start wearing Depends or something. wth?

Classes are going well. I've got a lot of really outgoing students, so it should be a pretty energetic semester.

Yup- that's it. Posting more often is fun, eh?

I amaze myself sometimes!

Look at me posting two days in a row. Amazing stuff, eh?

Not too much going on around here. One of Mark's employees came over this morning to install some surround sound speakers in the ceiling. It's almost 5 hours later and the poor soul is still here working away. I've locked myself in the bedroom to avoid the dust and whatnot that comes with cutting up the ceiling. Shi-Thead is in here with me- although he's sitting by the bedroom door pacing and whining.

I've caught up on my Office watching, which is pretty cool. Thursday nights get pretty busy around here with tv watching, so I've resorted to watching The Office online.

I told y'all- nothing going on around here today. Classes begin tomorrow, and I'm SO not ready. I finally finished my syllabi, student information sheet and the infamous Grade Sheet (it's a list of all their assignments for the semester and allows space for the student to record due date and grade earned). I still need to do my course schedules; I always have trouble with those. I managed to get my Mississippi online course up and ready to go, so I rewarded myself with a brownie from Chick-fil-a. Yumm-o! Yeah, I know you're not supposed to reward yourself with food, but considering I've LOST about 15 pounds since I got knocked up, I think the brownie will be okay. (On a total side note: Did you know the "Chick-fil-a Sauce" is a whopping 13 grams of fat per tiny container? Yeah, I opted for the bbq sauce which is 0 grams of fat.)

Okay, ramblings are through-- see what happens when I post daily?!? lol

Okay, seriously...

why do I find it so difficult to post regularly? December 26th? That was, what- three weeks ago? Good grief!

So, in my last post, I said I was feeling better- yeah, well, that was true until this week. The bronchitis has come back (or maybe never went away). My OB (who I adore) wrote me a prescription for some antibiotics, and I feel alright as long as I sit still and stay unproductive. In spite of the respiratory crap, I feel alright. Peanut is still picky about some foods, but I'm able to endure almost anything. I still need my naps, but they don't seem to be as long as they used to.

Let me backtrack:

Dec. 28-30: Trip to Fredericksburg, Tx for a friend's wedding-- this was lots of fun. Somehow they all found out I'm pregnant, so my mysterious napping and avoiding of the wine was quite the topic of conversation. Mark and I stayed at the winery where he proposed- it was a great surprise.

Dec. 31- First appointment with the new OB. He's a freakin' riot! My RE referred me to this guy because he thought our personalities would match-- he was right on! OB tried to let us hear the heartbeat, but at just 9 weeks, it was sill a bit early. He felt my uterus though and said "yup- you've got something in there." Uh, okay-- that was reassuring. They did lots of blood work, a pap, breast exam, etc. Mark sure enjoyed observing all of that.

New Years- yeah, I was in bed by 9pm. Mark woke me at 12 and said "Happy New Year," gave me a kiss on the forehead and walked out of the room to where my parents were chilling. We're a wild and crazy pair, I tell ya!

Jan. 7- We closed on our new house! The moment was really less climatic than I expected, but we were happy (and ready) to move out of mom and dad's casa.

Jan. 12- I went back to work and the menfolk (Mark, dad, brother) moved us into the new house. We managed to get the bed put together and stayed the night in our home. It was really nice to wake up to OUR place. Of course, I had to run by the parents' to get something to wear to work because clothes are semi-important.

Jan. 16- Second appointment with the OB who apologized for being "stupid" since he "delivered 2 babies the previous night and had one more brewing." He was really pleased. I was 11 weeks, 3 days at the appointment. Sonogram looked good. Peanut was all wadded up in one side of my uterus. Heard the heartbeat, which was super cool-- 173bpm. OB says we should expect peanut in early August (the 4th), which works well since classes begin at the end of August. I can go in to teach classes but have modified office hours the first few weeks of classes. Mom will watch Peanut for a while...at least the first semester of school.

So, yeah, I guess that brings us up to speed. We still have a lot of stuff at mom and dad's, but have managed to get everything out of storage. I don't live well in chaos, so I'm looking forward to getting things put where they belong. Mom took care of the kitchen for me, so that's real progress.

Now that school is back in session, and I'll be at a computer each day, maybe I can update more regularly...